<p>I actually thought I had decided on my plans the last time I posted on this forum, but I have since learned a lot of new information. I am considering a Public Accounting career, and my state mandates 150 college credit hours to get the CPA (even if it didn’t, I would still want them in case I moved to another state that did). I want to have exit opportunities available to me in the future, so I am not interested in getting a MBA immediately post-undergraduate, as I believe that would make it harder to get into a top-MBA in the future (having to explain “why do you want a second MBA?” in admission process - obviously they would know the answer to that question, but from what I hear, they still make it tougher for you to get in?).</p>
<p>I would already be taking all the accounting courses offered at the college in my first 120, so there is none to take for the remaining 30. Also, lets base the following questions on the assumption that I could make an A on any course I take, regardless of my interest in it (so please don’t say “GPA is more important, take what interests you”…if i feel i will get a bad grade, i won’t take the course).</p>
<p>I have three questions:
- Considering I will already meet all <em>specific</em> course requirements for the CPA Exam in my AACSB-acccredited (Business accredited, not Accounting accredited) BBA in Accounting degree, and I will have already taken all available undergraduate accounting courses, is there any specific courses (such as Business Law courses) that will actually help with passing the CPA Exam? Or are the areas tested by the CPA Exam different from the theory that is taught in college, and only CPA studying/practice will actually help? I understand there may be a variance from college to college, but in general…</p>
<li><p>If there are no truly useful courses for passing the CPA, or not enough, are there any additional courses that are looked upon favorably by the Big4 and/or non-Big4 firms when looking at your resume (yes, the interview is what counts, but you need to get to the interview first)?</p></li>
<li><p>What are your thoughts on getting a BBA in Accounting from my current undergrad school, then trying to go on to get a Masters in Professional Accounting from University of Texas - Austin (instate tuition) to satisfy the remaining hours? Would the additional expense for the most prestigious accounting program in the country be worth it, for someone who wants to have nationwide (not just local) options in the long-term?</p></li>
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<p>My current school is AACSB business accredited as I said earlier, but other than that, is not listed on any overall-college or business-school rankings.</p>
<p>Would simply completing all 150 hours at my current school, with as high a GPA as possible, productive extracurriculars (when not interfering with GPA), accounting internships, and then getting my CPA, give me just as good Big4 opportunities as graduating from UT’s MPA? And what if I end up being one of those that just cannot stand the Big4…how would my high-GPA, CPA-passed options be outside of the Big4 (both in public accounting and in corporate accounting) with vs without the UT degree?</p>
<p>Obviously this would be a no-brainer if there wasn’t more expense involved. I am just asking for opinions on if it is <em>worth</em> the additional expense in terms of Big4 Opportunities/Advancement, non-Big4 Public Accounting, and/or Corporate Accounting, considering I do not want to be limited in the long-term to the local region (though I am willing to get some years of work experience here first).</p>
<p>Any answers/opinions would be appreciated.</p>
<p>P.S.
You might say I am thinking way too early…well I have to declare my major(s) soon before I start wasting valuable credit/time/money, and the info I am trying to get (rest assured, I am searching other non-online/forum sources as well) will assist me with the decisions I will need to make soon. Thanks.</p>